Classified as a food additive and technical ingredient, citric acid helps to balance sweetness, enhance flavors, and extend shelf life. It’s used in soft drinks, jams, candies, cheeses, sauces, and bakery products.
In modern pastry and beverage making, it's valued for stabilizing fruit preparations, acidifying syrups, and preventing sugar crystallization.
Interestingly, citric acid is also found in non-food uses like homemade bath bombs or natural cleaning products.
Suggested use:
To enhance a homemade lemonade, add ¼ teaspoon of citric acid per liter of water with lemon juice and sugar. It sharpens the flavor and acts as a natural preservative.